Why do people drive with both hands on the steering wheel?

[Shockwave]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: ShockwaveAs someone whos done quite a bit of driving myself Let me tell you your full of it. In todays cars you can respond just as quickly due to the aid of power steering. The biggest factor in you fast you turn that wheel isnt how many hands you use but how many turns to lock your rack and pinion have. I ALWAYS drive with 1 hand on the wheel. Using 2 hands with power steering for most people means a gross overcorrection and a wreck. Also, its harder to initiate a turn to lock situation with 2 hands then 1, as with one you can instantly slide into a open palm and spin the wheel around whereas with 2 hands you need to remove 1 hand, or you can go about 90 degrtees MAX before your arms are crossed and you cant turn it anymore.

This is comlete and utter nonsense. You sir should go take a driving class or better yet go to one of those racing schools. Try driving a racing car with one hand and tell me that you have more control with one hand on the wheel. :roll:

Using 2 hands with power steering for most people means a gross overcorrection and a wreck.

This is perhaps the dumbest thing I've ever read on ATOT!!! Can you back that up with ANY facts? I thought not.

And for the race car driver comment, thats easy. They dont have power steering!! And they have about 1 turn to lock!! So obviously with no power steering and quick response you want 2 hands for better control. Because you may very well miss your turn if you use 1 hand due to it being much harder to turn a car without power steering then with.

Wrong again! Many racing cars have power steering. Formula One cars have power steering! Race car drivers don't use two hands because the cars don't have power steering, they use two hands because it gives them better control of the car.

An entire thread based on speculation and you call "Complete and utter nonsense"??
Oooookkkkkk Buckwheat. I assure you, i ASSURE you, I've driven more then you have. So, if we're going from plain experience, I'll stick by my guns.

 

[Thraxen]

Here's the easiest way to test the one-hand theory and it's the way it was taught to me in drivers ed. Go to an empty access road or parking lot and while driving slowly have a passenger suddenly try to jerk the steering wheel. Try it with while holding it with one hand and try it while holding it with two hands. You will NEVER be able to control the car better with a single hand. Impossible. And keep in mind that in this situation you are even expecting the jerk of the wheel to come and you will still do worse with a single hand. The difference will only be worse when not expecting the situation. This one test will easily disprove the one hand is better theory.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: Dari

Originally posted by: Thraxen

Have you ever DRIVEN off road?! When I go muddin I ALWAYS drive with one hand, open palm, so I can make quick corrections on the wheel without oversteering. And I've been in some deep nasty terrain before......

Yes, I used to mud back in HS. I still don't buy that one hand is better than two. You simply can't argue that one hand has better control than two. I'm talking about a about relatively high speed sudden departures from the road. You ever see off-road racers driving with one hand? Nope. At high speeds the wheel can be jerked so hard that one hand simply does not cut it... again, no debate here. I simply think you, like virtually everyone else, is overestimating your driving ability. Again, in an actually emergency I bet you will reach out and grip the wheel with both hands automatically, it's just safer.

In an emergency, one hand is better because you have much more delicate control. That allows you to make quick, but small or large decisions. Two hands require that both are in sync and you are prone to make bigger turns. Believe me, when you're going 60-100 mph and someone swerves (sic?) in front of you, or if you hit a debris on the road, one hand allows you to make the necessary turns without overdoing it. Overreacting can cause you to hit the guy in the other lane, causing a major pile-up, or worse.

Oh, the brakes are your friends too.

I guarantee you that if you try to make an emergency maneuver with only one hand on the wheel you will fvck it up, especially if you jam on the brakes at the same time.

Both hands allow you more precise control. One hand and you are more likely to overcorrect. This is a fact and you are wrong.

 

[ABitTooSpicy]

Originally posted by: bmacd
i don't have hands, so i use my knees to drive.

-=bmacd=-

Do you type with your knees as well??

Da skillz!!

 

[JulesMaximus]

An entire thread based on speculation and you call "Complete and utter nonsense"??
Oooookkkkkk Buckwheat. I assure you, i ASSURE you, I've driven more then you have. So, if we're going from plain experience, I'll stick by my guns.

Okay smart guy, I'm calling your bluff. How many years have you been driving? How many miles do you think you've racked up?

I'm not challenging the entire thread. Just your very niave statements.

 

[Shockwave]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus


I guarantee you that if you try to make an emergency maneuver with only one hand on the wheel you will fvck it up, especially if you jam on the brakes at the same time.

Both hands allow you more precise control. One hand and you are more likely to overcorrect. This is a fact and you are wrong.

Experience speaks differently. You can puff till your blue in the face, I lost control at 75MPH and drove through the slide and brought it back with one hand. Soooo...Link to these facts? I suppose wearing my seatbelt all the time too is FACTUALLY proven to save my life. However, I know of 2 instances where people would have been killed if they HAD been wearing their seatbelt, but since they werent they lived. Even the detectives at the scene stated as much. Of course, little instances like this dont fit your drivesafe.com profile do they Mr Internet?

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: Shockwave

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus


I guarantee you that if you try to make an emergency maneuver with only one hand on the wheel you will fvck it up, especially if you jam on the brakes at the same time.

Both hands allow you more precise control. One hand and you are more likely to overcorrect. This is a fact and you are wrong.

Experience speaks differently. You can puff till your blue in the face, I lost control at 75MPH and drove through the slide and brought it back with one hand. Soooo...Link to these facts? I suppose wearing my seatbelt all the time too is FACTUALLY proven to save my life. However, I know of 2 instances where people would have been killed if they HAD been wearing their seatbelt, but since they werent they lived. Even the detectives at the scene stated as much. Of course, little instances like this dont fit your drivesafe.com profile do they Mr Internet?

So, you get lucky once and you think this is overwelming proof that you are right and everyone else here is wrong? Get over yourself.

Seatbelts are FACTUALLY proven to save lives. Do they save lives in all situations? No. But it is a fact that if you are wearing your seatbelt you are more likely to survive a car crash. Duh. :roll:

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: Thraxen
Here's the easiest way to test the one-hand theory and it's the way it was taught to me in drivers ed. Go to an empty access road or parking lot and while driving slowly have a passenger suddenly try to jerk the steering wheel. Try it with while holding it with one hand and try it while holding it with two hands. You will NEVER be able to control the car better with a single hand. Impossible. And keep in mind that in this situation you are even expecting the jerk of the wheel to come and you will still do worse with a single hand. The difference will only be worse when not expecting the situation. This one test will easily disprove the one hand is better theory.

Excellent response.

Thank you!

 

[Shockwave]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: Shockwave

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus


I guarantee you that if you try to make an emergency maneuver with only one hand on the wheel you will fvck it up, especially if you jam on the brakes at the same time.

Both hands allow you more precise control. One hand and you are more likely to overcorrect. This is a fact and you are wrong.

Experience speaks differently. You can puff till your blue in the face, I lost control at 75MPH and drove through the slide and brought it back with one hand. Soooo...Link to these facts? I suppose wearing my seatbelt all the time too is FACTUALLY proven to save my life. However, I know of 2 instances where people would have been killed if they HAD been wearing their seatbelt, but since they werent they lived. Even the detectives at the scene stated as much. Of course, little instances like this dont fit your drivesafe.com profile do they Mr Internet?

So, you get lucky once and you think this is overwelming proof that you are right and everyone else here is wrong? Get over yourself.

Seatbelts are FACTUALLY proven to save lives. Do they save lives in all situations? No. But it is a fact that if you are wearing your seatbelt you are more likely to survive a car crash. Duh. :roll:

Ohhhh I see. So your OPINIONS are worth more then my OPINIONS. Thats interesting. Hard to have an effective argument when you use blanket statements to make a point. Especially when those blanket statements are, by your own admission, wrong.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: Shockwave

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: Shockwave

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus


I guarantee you that if you try to make an emergency maneuver with only one hand on the wheel you will fvck it up, especially if you jam on the brakes at the same time.

Both hands allow you more precise control. One hand and you are more likely to overcorrect. This is a fact and you are wrong.

Experience speaks differently. You can puff till your blue in the face, I lost control at 75MPH and drove through the slide and brought it back with one hand. Soooo...Link to these facts? I suppose wearing my seatbelt all the time too is FACTUALLY proven to save my life. However, I know of 2 instances where people would have been killed if they HAD been wearing their seatbelt, but since they werent they lived. Even the detectives at the scene stated as much. Of course, little instances like this dont fit your drivesafe.com profile do they Mr Internet?

So, you get lucky once and you think this is overwelming proof that you are right and everyone else here is wrong? Get over yourself.

Seatbelts are FACTUALLY proven to save lives. Do they save lives in all situations? No. But it is a fact that if you are wearing your seatbelt you are more likely to survive a car crash. Duh. :roll:

Ohhhh I see. So your OPINIONS are worth more then my OPINIONS. Thats interesting. Hard to have an effective argument when you use blanket statements to make a point. Especially when those blanket statements are, by your own admission, wrong.

I suppose you are going to argue that a few beers improves your response time to an emergency situation now?

Try Thraxen's test above then get back to me.

 

[CraigRT]

I hate driving with 2 hands as well. I am usually just left hand near the top, and the right hand on the shifter.

 

[Asharus]

I usually drive w/ my left hand either right below or right above the 9 position, for easy access to the blinker. My right arm is usually on my armrest.

I don't understand why people drive w/ left hand at the 12 or 1 position. Boggles the sh!t out of me...

 

[Triumph]

Originally posted by: Dari
Unless you ambi-dexterous (sic?), it's very dangerous to drive with both hands. It can be hard to coordinate both hands to do what you want. Things can get more dicey if the situation is critical, forcing you to think fast. I like to drive with my right-hand (I'm right-handed) on the 12:00 position of the steering wheel. Driving at 9 and 3 is dangerous IMHO.

bwaaaahahahahaha.....

it's so funny because it actually sounds like you are serious.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: Triumph

Originally posted by: Dari
Unless you ambi-dexterous (sic?), it's very dangerous to drive with both hands. It can be hard to coordinate both hands to do what you want. Things can get more dicey if the situation is critical, forcing you to think fast. I like to drive with my right-hand (I'm right-handed) on the 12:00 position of the steering wheel. Driving at 9 and 3 is dangerous IMHO.

bwaaaahahahahaha.....

it's so funny because it actually sounds like you are serious.

You should read some of the other responses to this!

You'll laugh even harder! :laugh:

 

[Shockwave]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus


I suppose you are going to argue that a few beers improves your response time to an emergency situation now?

Try Thraxen's test above then get back to me.

Avoiding the question? Its simple. Are your opinions worth more then mine?

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Dari
In an emergency, one hand is better because you have much more delicate control. That allows you to make quick, but small or large decisions. Two hands require that both are in sync and you are prone to make bigger turns. Believe me, when you're going 60-100 mph and someone swerves (sic?) in front of you, or if you hit a debris on the road, one hand allows you to make the necessary turns without overdoing it. Overreacting can cause you to hit the guy in the other lane, causing a major pile-up, or worse.

Oh, the brakes are your friends too.

Wrong. One hand reduces finesse. I've been in a good number of "emergency" situations (country roads, heavy midwestern snow, no plows) and I've never had a problem because of driving with both hands on the wheel. Never once had an overcorrection.

All you people claiming that using both hands causes people to over-correct are either full of it or unbelievably un-cordinated. Ask anyone who races SCCA or any other sanctioning group that runs a showroom stock class. These people are racing cars with power steering and 3+ turns lock-to-lock. One of the first things they (or any performance driving class) will tell you is to keep both hands on the wheel. With proper hand positioning you can crank the wheel to full lock without trouble even when using both hands.

ZV

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Shockwave

Originally posted by: Eli
I've never really been able to tell the difference between power and non-power steering when moving at speeds of over say 20mph....... lol

It becomes apparent at speeds over 100

Hence speed activated power steering. Faster you go, less power you have on the steering.

Any modern power steering system is completely shut off by 40 mph. Unless you're driving a 1970's land barge, your power steering argument hasn't been relevant for 20 years.

ZV

 

[Shockwave]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: Shockwave

Originally posted by: Eli
I've never really been able to tell the difference between power and non-power steering when moving at speeds of over say 20mph....... lol

It becomes apparent at speeds over 100

Hence speed activated power steering. Faster you go, less power you have on the steering.

Any modern power steering system is completely shut off by 40 mph. Unless you're driving a 1970's land barge, your power steering argument hasn't been relevant for 20 years.

ZV

[NO]

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: Shockwave

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus


I suppose you are going to argue that a few beers improves your response time to an emergency situation now?

Try Thraxen's test above then get back to me.

Avoiding the question? Its simple. Are your opinions worth more then mine?

It isn't opinion. Why do you think they teach you to keep both hands on the wheel when you are learning to drive? Because it gives you less control and makes you more likely to overreact? I think not.

Common sense proves you are wrong.

Edit-Still waiting for you to list your vast years of driving experience and the number of miles you've driven.

 

[Shockwave]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: Shockwave

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus


I suppose you are going to argue that a few beers improves your response time to an emergency situation now?

Try Thraxen's test above then get back to me.

Avoiding the question? Its simple. Are your opinions worth more then mine?

It isn't opinion. Why do you think they teach you to keep both hands on the wheel when you are learning to drive? Because it gives you less control and makes you more likely to overreact? I think not.

Common sense proves you are wrong.

Blanket statements..... :roll:
So in every situation I HAVE to have boths hands or I'll not react fast enough and wreck and die?? Again, experience proves this wrong

I really REALLY wish you were local and I still had my RX-7. I'd take you out for a drive and show ya.

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: Shockwave

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: Shockwave

Originally posted by: Eli
I've never really been able to tell the difference between power and non-power steering when moving at speeds of over say 20mph....... lol

It becomes apparent at speeds over 100

Hence speed activated power steering. Faster you go, less power you have on the steering.

Any modern power steering system is completely shut off by 40 mph. Unless you're driving a 1970's land barge, your power steering argument hasn't been relevant for 20 years.

ZV

[NO]

?????

C'mon, have you even driven a power steering equipped car? I never really knew that the power steering was shut off at speed, but it makes sense.

AFAIK, power steering was more or less invented to make it easier to steer in parkinglot type situations, not because it gives you better control at 100MPH...

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: Shockwave

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: Shockwave

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus


I suppose you are going to argue that a few beers improves your response time to an emergency situation now?

Try Thraxen's test above then get back to me.

Avoiding the question? Its simple. Are your opinions worth more then mine?

It isn't opinion. Why do you think they teach you to keep both hands on the wheel when you are learning to drive? Because it gives you less control and makes you more likely to overreact? I think not.

Common sense proves you are wrong.

Blanket statements..... :roll:
So in every situation I HAVE to have boths hands or I'll not react fast enough and wreck and die?? Again, experience proves this wrong

I really REALLY wish you were local and I still had my RX-7. I'd take you out for a drive and show ya.

I don't think I'd feel comfortable driving with you quite frankly.

 

[Shockwave]

Originally posted by: Eli
?????

C'mon, have you even driven a power steering equipped car? I never really knew that the power steering was shut off at speed, but it makes sense.

AFAIK, power steering was more or less invented to make it easier to steer in parkinglot type situations, not because it gives you better control at 100MPH...

No, I've never driven a power steering equipped car :roll:

I know for fact that statement is false. It may be that all cars will modulate the power steering so you have less, but find a Taurus with a flaky TR sensor and you'll find out damned quick just how much power steering is left at 80 miles an hour.

Aside from that, why do you think a few years ago advertisers flaunted there speed sensitive power steering on their sport line of cars?

 

[Thraxen]

So in every situation I HAVE to have boths hands or I'll not react fast enough and wreck and die?? Again, experience proves this wrong

Nobody said that. All we are saying is that two hand provides better control. We are not saying that you can't drive with one hand in many, or even most, situations. Again, the test I talked about above more than proves the point. I literally had to do that in drivers ed. We went to a dead-end access road and the teacher would suddenly try to jerk the steering wheel as I drove slowly down the road. The entire point of the exercise to prove that two hands on the wheel provides better control and it proves it easily. And, again, this was a controlled situation at slow speeds (for obvious safety reasons). The gap between one and two hands will only get wider at faster speeds with unexpected situations.

 

[Whisper]

Two hands on the wheel gives you better control, period. 3/9 is the best position for that.

However, it takes getting used to if you're accustomed to driving with one hand in ordinary situations. I drive with one hand when I'm not doing much more than just going down the street, and I'm pretty positive that most "race car drivers" do the same. But even then, two hands is technically the safest way to go.

By the way, the 12 o'clock position isn't as bad as most people think. If you're going to use one hand, it's right up there with the 9/10 o'clock positions. The absolute worst place for your hand on the steering wheel is 6 o'clock. Beyond that, anywhere down there on the bottom half of the wheel--especially when driving one-handed--is much worse than the top.

Edit: and I'm going to over-generalize here, but I'll give my reasoning for why people who drive with two hands on the wheel seem to "over correct." I'd venture to say there's no over correction going on at all. Rather, it's just a difference in the type of driver operating the vehicle. From personal experience (and thus this statement holds absolutely no scientific validity whatsoever), many people operating a vehicle with two hands do so because they don't feel comfortable using only one. These are the same type of people that feel ill at-ease in a car to begin with. The same people that slam on the brakes in a rain storm (or any other weather for that matter) because the car in front of them randomly slows down on a highway. The same people that, when turning into a lane and finding someone in their blind spot, swerve their steering wheel in the opposite direction rather than making a quick and controlled abort of the lane change.

In short, some of the people driving at 10/2 do so because they were told to do so, and because they don't feel safe driving any other way. They simply aren't as skilled at driving as a whole, and are prone to over-reaction in any situation, whether or not they had two hands on the wheel.

Though like I said, the above is an over-generalization, and holds no fact at all. It's just a possible explanation as to why some people that drive 3/9 or 2/10 might seem like they are over correcting, or are bad drivers. It's because they'd do so regardless.